Album Reviews

- by Nate Hennon

I haven't been listening to Teenage Bottlerocket very long, but I cannot think of them as anything other than a fully realized band. Their song structures, delivery and all around attitude are more akin to the 70's era punk bands than with the Pop Punk bands of today. Maybe this has something to do with them not being from a 'Big City' that has certain rules about their punk. Or with them just being awesome.

Whatever the reasons are for why Teenage Bottlerocket is the way they are, I always find it interesting when a band does a cover song. Typically cover songs are windows into the band's influences and history. Occasionally the cover is a straightforward rendition, or the band puts their unique spin on the original. Both methods produce excitement to this listener. However, Teenage Bottlerocket decided not to do just put out an album of cover songs, but they a new spin on the Cover Song genre entirely. Their latest album, "Stealing The Covers," does not contain a bunch of old punk and rock songs that the TB boys enjoy, but it is full of song from their contemporaries and fun bands they met during their career.

"Stealing the Covers" is a good album, but it is a little frustrating. Not because it is full of songs the masses may not have heard, but it made me want to hear more Teenage Bottlerocket. Luckily Teenage Bottlerocket released the "Goin' Back to Wyo" 7-inch at the same time as "Stealing the Covers," which comes with two new songs. That's a good thing because this album opened up my gluttonous appetite for more from these guys.

Track listing:

1. The Way I Know
2. Back and Forth
3. College Town
4. Don't Go
5. RoboCop Is a Halfbreed Sellout
6. No Hugging No Learning
7. Shit Fuck God Damn
8. Gay Parade
9. It Came From the Radio
10. Alien Motion Technology
11. Hat Nerd
12. My Very Best
13. I Kill Butterflies
14. Why The Big Pause